A KSRTC bus conductor was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a Class 9 student on a bus operating from the Nedumangad depot in Thiruvananthapuram while she was on her way to school.

Thiruvananthapuram POCSO Court Judge M P Shibu sentenced Sathyaraj (53), son of Isaac Levi, of Vembayam, and also imposed a fine of ₹25,000. The incident occurred on 4 August 2023.

The conductor groped the fourteen-year-old girl who had boarded the bus to go to school. Believing it might have been accidental, the child moved away, but he touched her again. The child reported the matter to the school authorities, who subsequently informed the Aryanad Police.

The case was investigated and charge-sheeted by the then Aryanad Police Sub-Inspector, Sheena L. During the trial, the prosecution examined 13 witnesses and presented 18 documents as evidence.

The court noted that a bus conductor, who is duty-bound to protect girls on the bus from harm, had himself behaved in such a manner. Public Prosecutor J K Ajith Prasad and Advocate V C Bindu appeared for the prosecution.